The diamond is the hardest natural material known to man. It is hard to believe that all a diamond is made out of is common carbon.

Diamonds were created when the solid substances of the earth began to condense under extreme temperatures and pressures. This resulted in the crystallization of the carbon deposits in the center of the earth. It was volcanoes that were responsible for getting the diamonds from the center of the earth to the surface. The explosive volcanoes would throw the rocks carrying the diamonds upwards and many times the diamond bearing rocks would be washed away in the oceans and rivers where they would later be found.

The first diamonds were discovered in India. It took over a millennium for diamonds to be found in other parts of the world. Now South Africa is known for their diamond mines, but Brazil and Russia also have valuable diamond mines. Australia and Argyle are the newest countries to join in the ranks of diamond mining, but their diamond mines are a little different from the other mines in that they produce exquisite pink diamonds, one of the rarest diamonds in the world.

You cannot take a diamond straight from the mine and mount it in a piece of jewelry. The raw diamond has to be cut and polished by a diamond cutter before it is ready to be made into an elegant engagement ring or be the center piece in a diamond necklace.